h4Chapter 170: Stop Her/h4

    The drive home was quieter than any of them expected. Maybe it was the adrenaline slowly wearing off, or the emotional toll the night had taken, but the car was mostly filled with soft breathing and the asional rustle of clothes as they shifted in their seats.

    Ruby leaned against Stefan’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed for a few minutes, while Rayna scrolled through her phone in the passenger seat, updating Ethan on the online reactions to the livestream.

    "Over a hundred thousand views already," she whispered, half in awe, half in disbelief. "And thements? Everyone’s ripping Ivy apart."

    "Good," Ethan said simply, his jaw still tight. "She deserves every word."

    When they reached Stefan’s house, the security gate opened without dy. As the SUV pulled up the driveway, the glowing porch light bathed the house in a calm, weing warmth that felt almost surreal after the chaos they’d just left.

    Ethan got out first, holding the door open for Rayna before helping Ruby step down. Stefan followedst, giving the surroundings a cursory nce, his senses still on high alert even if the storm had passed.

    "You sure you want to stay over?" Stefan asked Ethan as they made their way inside.

    Ethan smirked. "Well, considering my girlfriend lives here temporarily, and your guest room is morefortable than my entire apartment—yeah, I’m sure."

    Rayna elbowed him gently as they entered the grand foyer. "We’re not going to keep you up all night. Just an hour or two of debriefing and snacks."

    "Debriefing?" Ruby asked as she removed her shoes. "You sound like we just got back from war."

    Rayna threw her hands up. "Did you see Ivy’s face when she realized the world heard her? That was war."

    Laughter trickled out, softening the air. Stefan led Ruby toward the stairs. "We’ll change and be back down. Ethan, the fridge is yours."

    Ethan saluted as he and Rayna veered toward the kitchen. "Copy that."

    Upstairs, in their bedroom, Ruby peeled off thest of her dress, sighing deeply as she slipped into a soft cotton robe. Stefan changed into joggers and a ck T-shirt before checking his phone for missed messages.

    As if that was what it had been waiting for, the phone started ringing immediately.

    He checked to see that it was his mother calling.

    He answered immediately. "Mum?"

    "I saw it," Elizabeth said, her voice calm butden with pride. "All of it. Rayna’s stream, the confrontation... everything."

    Stefan sat on the edge of the bed, ncing at Ruby, who looked over, curious. "And?"

    "And what? Nothing. I’m just calling to check with you both and tell you that you handled it well. Ruby too," Elizabeth said. "I’m proud of you both. You stayed firm, protected the truth, and didn’t let her manipte the narrative. I’m d you were able to show the world what a maniptive person Ivy was without fighting her head on."

    Stefan rxed slightly. "Thanks, Mum."

    "But now," she added, her tone sharpening slightly, "after all that drama, you have to be careful. I know Ivy. She’s always been clever, maniptive, but now she’s angry and exposed. That makes her dangerous, Stefan. We both know she wouldn’t take this blow and not do anything."

    His fingers tightened around the phone. "I know. We’ll be careful."

    There was a pause before Elizabeth asked again, "How did it go with Mr. Rogers?"

    Stefan hesitated, then leaned back against the headboard. "I’m not continuing business with him."

    "What?" Elizabeth sounded surprised. "Why not? I thought he saw the truth in the end."

    "He did," Stefan said. "But only because Ivy exposed herself. And to be honest, Mum... if I brought Ruby personally to him,id out the truth, and he still doubted us? That says something. He didn’t trust me. He didn’t trust her. He chose to believe Ivy’s side over mine, his business associate. And if Ivy hadn’t lost control, he might’ve stuck to his doubts."

    Elizabeth exhaled slowly. "I see."

    "I don’t want to work with someone like that," Stefan said firmly. "It’s not just about money or influence. It’s about integrity. I can’t build anything meaningful with a man who can’t even look me in the eye and believe me when I speak the truth."

    There was a beat of silence, then Elizabeth spoke, softer this time. "Alright. Then don’t. Do what you think is best. I trust you."

    "Thanks," he said.

    "Just stay safe. That girl has nothing left now. And people like that? They’re unpredictable."

    "I will. Goodnight, Mum."

    "Goodnight, son."

    When he hung up, Ruby looked at him quietly. "You’re really cutting off the deal?"

    "Yeah," Stefan said, without hesitation. "Enough of that. There’ll be other investors—ones who believe in us without needing a dramatic scandal to open their eyes."

    Ruby moved closer, her robe brushing his arm as she sat beside him. "I’m proud of you."

    He smiled at her, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Thanks. Nowe on. Let’s go join your best friend and her very smug boyfriend before they start eating without us."

    Ruby giggled. "Sure. Let’s do that."

    Back downstairs, Ethan was raiding the fridge while Rayna popped a bowl of popcorn in the microwave. They were mid-discussion about what kind of Netflix series to binge when Stefan and Ruby reappeared in more casual clothes.

    "Look who finally decided to grace us with their presence," Ethan teased.

    "I had to talk to Mum," Stefan said, grabbing a bottle of water. "And change out of that suit. I smelled like tension and betrayal."

    Rayna snorted.

    "You guys okay?" Ethan asked Ruby more seriously as she curled up on the couch beside Stefan.

    "I think so," she said with a small smile. "The worst is behind us now."

    "For now," Stefan added quietly. "But we’ll stay ready. Just in case Ivy tries anything else."

    Ethan gave a firm nod. "And she will. But she won’t get anywhere."

    Rayna handed around bowls of popcorn and turned on the TV, though no one was truly paying attention to the screen. Instead, they let the warmth of the living room settle in—soft lighting, the smell of buttered popcorn, the familiar hush of nighttime.

    For the first time in a long while, the four of them shared something simple. A moment of peace. Perhaps, the type thates before the storm.

    This peace wouldn’tst forever—they all knew that. Ivy was still out there, somewhere, wounded and vtile. But for tonight, the truth had won and that was enough.

    Away from there, Elizabeth paced around her bedroom after the call with Stefan, her brows furrowed in deep thought. The evening’s events swirled like a storm in her mind—Ivy’s threats and Ruby’s shaken expression. It was all spiraling out of control.

    She stood by her bedroom window, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she watched the moonlight filter through the trees swaying in the wind. Something had to be done. And it had to be done fast.

    Ivy—that girl had always been unpredictable, but Elizabeth had never imagined she could be this dangerous—malicious, even.

    Elizabeth began pacing again, her satin robe trailing behind her as she muttered softly to herself. "How do we get rid of her? How do we make sure she never hurts Stefan or Ruby again?"

    She stopped by her dresser and leaned against it, her fingers tapping anxiously on the wood. Then a thought hit her—Eliana.

    Her eyes widened as the memory resurfaced: Ivy leaning over Eliana’s unconscious body in the hospital room and saying those malicious words.

    What if Ivy really had something to do with Eliana’s ident? Peri, she could use that to get Ivy locked up for good. But how?

    Her heart began to race.

    "If we can prove Ivy caused that ident... if we can connect her to it..." she whispered, eyes narrowing with resolve. "We need Eliana awake. She might be the only one who knows what really happened."

    But as quickly as the idea formed, a darker thought crept in, cold and terrifying.

    What if Ivy had already realized Eliana could expose her?

    What if, after the scandal tonight, Ivy nned to finish what she started?

    Her chest tightened at the possibility.

    "No," she said aloud, turning on her heel. "I can’t risk it."

    She can’t allow that to happen. She would need to do something quickly before it’s toote. But what could she possibly do right now?

    It waste in the night and there was no way she could leave now. But what if before she could go there tomorrow morning, something bad had already happened to Eliana?

    What was her n even? It was one thing to go to the hospital but it was another to know what to do and right now, she didn’t know and not just that, she was alone.

    She couldn’t tell Stefan about this. It was going to cause Ruby distress. She needed to handle this on her own and now. She’d think about any other thingter.